Back Pain - Problem and Cure

[evadgib]

Hi All,

 

         I'm a long time sufferer of back pain as a result of military service and am receiving regular treatment BUT...

 

        - Of late I've had pain in the lower left, seemingly associated with chairs that are too low for a 6'er

 

       - After much experimenting I seem to be ok if I sit on 2 pillows plus a chair.

 

      -  My TV chair (recliner) is problematic too but I suspect a 4"/100mm platform at the base would enable my legs to be in their preferred position without any pain.

 

         Am I on the right track and can I buy such extensions (& if so what are they called & where from?) or is my only option to have chairs made to order for Computer, Dining and TV?

 

        The pain in the last month has been the worst for more than a decade & I sometimes struggle to stand. I exercise regularly but need to sort this out as it's getting harder each day; it's like having an electric shock while doing the simplest of tasks inc stairs which I currently only manage with one leg while dragging the other.

        

    I'll be interested to hear how others fare :)

 

Edited December 2, 2016 by evadgib

[Sheryl]

I don't know where you could get such extensions (unless you are willing to settle for concrete blocks or bricks), your best option is probably to have them custom made from wood.

 

What you describe re your symptoms is worrying as those "electric shocks"  and dragging leg suggest nerve impingement which if uncorrected can lead to permanent, irreversible damage.  When did you last have imaging studies of your lower spine done? Conditions can worsen over time, bone spurs can form, etc. I suggest you see a good spine specialist without delay.

[evadgib]

Thanks Sheryl,  Wood or plastic does seem the only real option.

 

My Chiropractor says weight isn't helping as it increases the strain on my back. I don't drink nor smoke but a malfunctioning kidney undetected for 30 years lead to weight gain and has only recently been treated. Cardio / vascular wise i'm fine but i'm a bit of a tellytubby & could do with shifting more than the 5 kilos I have managed to date. When it's HOT/Humid I find exercise virtually impossible but ATM is cool here so I have been on a cross trainer all week & will jump on it again in the next few mins.......if I can get up the stairs! :)

 

 

[faraday]

I suggest very strongly, that you see a Neurologist.

[Konini]

A chiropractor isn't a medically trained doctor. Take it from someone who has only a tiny bit of the sciatic nerve still connected.  with all due respect to the previous poster, my suggestion would be an orthopedic  surgeon.  Do it quickly though, time may be very important.

[evadgib]

Thanks All, The thought of dealing with the Veterans agency again isn't one I look forward to but I might blow the dust off my files if this continues much longer.

 

On a lighter note I spent a very enjoyable hour on the machine this afternoon and managed most of the stairs with both feet in order to reach it :) 

Edited December 2, 2016 by evadgib

[Sheryl]

Spinal specialists may be either orthopedic surgeons or neurosurgeons...it is a subspecialty of both.

[Konini]

My GP referred me to an orthopedic surgeon because she knew how adamant I was about not having surgery.  She said a neurosurgeon would have me on the operating bench in a flash, and the orthopod was very understanding about me not wanting to go down that path and we tried various things to keep me going, but in the end it just had to happen.  At work I was having to go to the cafe next door to use their toilets as I couldn't walk up the stairs to get to ours.

 

Glad that the OP is feeling a bit better.

[louse1953]

On 12/2/2016 at 3:47 PM, evadgib said:

Thanks Sheryl,  Wood or plastic does seem the only real option.

 

My Chiropractor says weight isn't helping as it increases the strain on my back. I don't drink nor smoke but a malfunctioning kidney undetected for 30 years lead to weight gain and has only recently been treated. Cardio / vascular wise i'm fine but i'm a bit of a tellytubby & could do with shifting more than the 5 kilos I have managed to date. When it's HOT/Humid I find exercise virtually impossible but ATM is cool here so I have been on a cross trainer all week & will jump on it again in the next few mins.......if I can get up the stairs! :)

 

 

Where are you,i would like to see your chiro.

[ammagic]

Definitely not chiropractor. 2 different friends in 2 different counties had a stroke after a chiro visit. Coincidence? I think not

[louse1953]

On 12/2/2016 at 10:30 PM, Konini said:

A chiropractor isn't a medically trained doctor. Take it from someone who has only a tiny bit of the sciatic nerve still connected.  with all due respect to the previous poster, my suggestion would be an orthopedic  surgeon.  Do it quickly though, time may be very important.

We all have different needs and for me a chiro in Australia has saved me from a lot of pain when doctors just want to x ray and pills.A nerve gets trapped in my vertabrae and he releases it in 5 minutes.I am looking for a chiro now in the Issan area.A chiro may not be a doctor but they are well trained and look at things differently from doctors.

[blazes]

I have had a lot of the symptoms of the OP (sitting too low, pain when stand up) and general pain when getting up from a recumbent position, plus I must bend my knees for any kind of reaching down motion.

 

If you google "retro walking" [walking backwards] you will find that much is claimed for this action.  I now do 20 minutes (2 x 10) per day of walking backwards with speed of treadmill at 2mph (started at 1.5).   A lot of the bothersome back  pain that comes when standing up has now diminished or gone away.

 

Give it a try.

[simple1]

On 06/12/2016 at 9:57 PM, louse1953 said:

We all have different needs and for me a chiro in Australia has saved me from a lot of pain when doctors just want to x ray and pills.A nerve gets trapped in my vertabrae and he releases it in 5 minutes.I am looking for a chiro now in the Issan area.A chiro may not be a doctor but they are well trained and look at things differently from doctors.

 

I had lower back & upper  leg pain for a number of years & treated by massage, chiro etc. I returned to Oz & was recommended for both Doppler scans for blood flow and CT of lower back. In fact turned out the cause was spinal stenosis causing a pinched nerve. Had a CT guided injection of cortisone to C4 which so far has worked out well for pain minimisation. As Sheryl suggested well worth checking with specialist for some scans / tests.

[balo]

You need to do an MR scan of your lower spine , they can find trapped nerves and it will be easier for you to heal when you know the reason to your pain .  In my case it was a trapped nerve caused by a disc fragment in my L5 .  VItamin B helped me healing the nerve , and I am pain free after 6 months treatment. 

But your first step is to get the scan done so the spine doctor can have a look at it. 

 

[evadgib]

Update 17 Dec

 

I'm pleased to report everything is back to normal but thought the board would benefit from a bit of hindsight...

 

Twice in recent months we (wife and I) have been to a massage parlour where we were treated together, very relaxing and very enjoyable. For our second visit I asked for and was given a full power Thai massage which was equally enjoyable but resulted in visible bruising 2-3 days later & pain shortly after that. At this point insert my original post....

 

The long and the short all this is that I unwittingly triggered a herniated disc which has now been successfully treated without surgery or med intervention.

 

Thanks to everyone for your replies :)

 

(I won't be doing that again!)

Edited December 17, 2016 by evadgib

[Konini]

I'm glad it worked out for you - in my case it was a very highly qualified and highly regarded physiotherapist in Melbourne who triggered my herniated disc which in very short order actually exploded.  Nowadays the only people I let touch my back or legs are medical doctors who are either orthopaedic or neurosurgeon - I don't even trust ordinary doctors unfortunately.  But we plod on without complaint (apart from the occasional tantrum about how I can't do this or that) because I know that the outcome could have been very different.  I have Billy (my folding walking stick that I always carry with me in case I get the wobbles whilst I'm out; the damage to my sciatic nerve has left me with balance problems that I can cope with most of the time but I have Billy for when I can't), but that's a minor inconvenience compared to not being able to walk or to walking with anything more than the occasional limp that I get.

 

We're the lucky ones, we have to remember that .  The glass is half full.

[Gary A]

Years ago I had severe back pain and went to a chiropractor who was recommended by friends. The next day I couldn't get out of bed. After a day in bed I went to an MD who specialized in back problems. He had me on the table and was pressing on different areas of my back. He suddenly stopped and asked if by any chance I had been to a chiropractor.  I told him that I had. The doctor became visibly angry and told me my back muscles were very tight and inflamed. He then told me that if I ever went back to one of those bone crackers, not to bother to come  back to see him. I never forgot that lecture.

[Streem26]

I've had a inversion table  http://jonsguide.org/best-top-teeter-hang-up-reviews/ for over fifteen years and it has decreased my lower back pain tremendously. Several of my friends have tried mine and immediately gone out and bought their own. If you have lower back pain from compressed discs, then the Inversion table may be just the thing you need.
I certainly worked/works for me! My lower back pain was directly related to playing the saxophone, standing or sitting for hour after hour. playing tenor, or worse, bari, can have a gradual destabilizing affect on your lower back, causing a lot of compression and tension.
The Inversion table, if used properly (not too steep an angle) can relieve the pressure and allow the discs to un-compress. 
You have to be careful though! Too steep an angle, especially in the beginning, will hurt more than help. I still don't hang completely upside down, mainly because I don't need to. 

And it's will be  lucky enough to find a gym for use it their before investing

Edited December 20, 2016 by Streem26